Your citizen activism is needed now more than ever....

Your citizen activism is needed now more than ever....

Feb. 9, 2010 9:35 am

By Louise

Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito may not want to have heard about it at the State Of The Union address, but a new bipartisan poll, by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg and Republican strategist Mark McKinnons, shows that most Americans agree with President Obama's take on the Citizens United ruling that allows corporations to carpet bomb politicians with money. More than 60 percent of those polled say it's a bad idea. Opposition was found in both parties, and independents. Average Americans know what the Republican Five on the Supreme Court are ignoring - when corporations finally, completely take over America, it won't be America anymore. A corporate-run state, where the money powers own the government and the politicians - what the Republican Five on the Supreme Court have put us on the road to - has historically been known as feudalism or fascism. Think the East India Company in 1776 England, or Mussolini replacing the members of parliament with corporate representatives in the early 1930s. If we don't do something fast - probably amending the constitution to deny corporations personhood - this country, and the world, could become very authoritarian and very ugly very quickly. Your citizen activism is needed now more than ever.

Comments

Ok Thom... here it goes. I would really like to know what you think of this video I created to hopefully get some people aware and perhaps maybe even motivated to do something. There are several people that I think were particularly inspirational in getting me to create this video including you Mr. Hartmann, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Stephanie Miller, President Obama and Randy Rhodes. You are the people in particular that got me interested in politics and motivated towards taking our democracy back. Here's the link to the video and please read the info associated with the video which explains how we may be able to get a movement going...

A coalition of democracy reform groups is organizing a public protest of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on election financing for Tuesday, February 16, starting at noon with a rally at the State Capitol followed by a march to the nearby federal courthouse.

Citizens United Against Citizens United Groups involved in organizing the March to Overrule the Court include the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Center for Media and Democracy, Liberty Tree Foundation, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, and the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, in coordination with MovetoAmend.org.

In its January 21 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the sharply divided court overturned two key Supreme Court precedents and invalidated longstanding laws governing how elections are financed, sweeping away virtually all restrictions on campaign spending by corporations. The court majority reached this decision on the basis of the supposed constitutional rights of corporations, as persons, to speak and influence elections.

The demonstration's aim is to build momentum for the adoption of constitutional amendments overruling the court and legislative remedies to the effects of the ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling a bad idea? It's not just a bad idea. It is the most serious attack on a healthly functioning democracy we have encountered in my lifetime (and perhaps since our founding).. The decision has catapulted to the top of my "surveys" list in issues of most concern to the average American public. My most important question: What constitutional principle on the books exists which governs correction of the actions of the body to which we as a people have granted absolute final authority over our rule of law, if they do not, when in error, have the grace to correct it themselves?

You need to know this... Support for Donald Trump's campaign is still growing nationally, and in early primary states, but he's not just gaining support in early primary states. A new poll from Florida shows that Trump is leading Jeb by 6 percentage points - and he's leading Rubio by 16 points.

"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."

"With the ever-growing influence of corporate CEOs and their right-wing allies in all aspects of American life, Hartmann’s work is more relevant than ever. Throughout his career, Hartmann has spoken compellingly about the value of people-centered democracy and the challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face today as a result of a dogma dedicated to putting profit above all else. This collection is a rousing call for Americans to work together and put people first again."

—Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO

From Screwed:

"Thom Hartmann’s book explains in simple language and with concrete research the details of the Neo-con’s war against the American middle class. It proves what many have intuited and serves to remind us that without a healthy, employed, and vital middle class, America is no more than the richest Third World country on the planet."